Petition to reduce size of Board of Selectmen is quietly circulating

Wednesday

WESTPORT — A petition began circulating around town last week by residents seeking to reduce the size of the Board of Selectmen from five to three members.

WESTPORT — A petition began circulating around town last week by residents seeking to reduce the size of the Board of Selectmen from five to three members.

If organizers supporting the petition can obtain 200 signatures of registered voters, the current Board of Selectmen would be forced to call a Special Town Meeting to act on the question.

The petition drive apparently stems from resident dissatisfaction with the selectmen's recent handling of complaints against the Conservation Commission, resulting in a vote to disband the current commission. That vote was later reversed by selectmen after town counsel advised them the action was taken illegally.

After rescinding the vote, selectmen voted 4-1, with Selectman Steven Ouellette dissenting, to ask town counsel to prepare charges against commissioners alleging they held an illegal meeting and have exceeded their authority in certain official situations. Four commissioners countered the action by having Atty. Philip Beauregard file suit in federal court alleging selectmen violated their First Amendment rights and have interfered with the commission's ability to perform their official duties.

Two weeks later, selectmen again voted 4-1 to appoint two new commissioners to replace members who declined to be re-appointed, without the pre-appointment interviews that traditionally take place before residents are appointed to town boards and commissions. The vote came without public discussion, raising questions about whether the decision to appoint the pair was made prior to the public meeting.

Mr. Ouellette was once again on the minority side of the vote, and chided his fellow members for committing "a huge injustice" with the appointments.

Residents attending that selectmen's meeting also chided the board for not interviewing candidates for appointment as has been done in the past, and later suggested members might be circumventing the state Open Meeting Law by making decisions outside of posted public meetings.

Petition supporter Atty. Michael Habib was quoted in The Standard-Times of New Bedford as saying the selectmen's hasty appointments without interviews raised questions of "due diligence" by the board, and whether selectmen are illegally "speaking among themselves" to reach decisions on future votes.

Mr. Habib indicated he is part of the "grass-roots effort" of residents in town that has been disturbed by some of the recent actions of the current board and wants to do something. A vote to disband the entire Conservation Commission without public discussion has raised questions about whether the board is complying with the Open Meeting Law, he suggested.

"They never have any conversations about anything; Gary Mauk makes a motion, and they vote on it," he said. "There's no questions, no discussion—that's not democracy. It gives the impression that something's going on."

He also indicated many residents are upset that selectmen are making important decisions regarding the commission without any public discussion or input.

While he said he was not one of the organizers of the petition, Mr. Habib said he read a draft of it before it began circulating, and will sign it when he gets a chance.

Reportedly, the petition was drafted by Attorney Deborah Roher, another Westport resident who is the wife of former Selectman David Dionne. Reached at her legal office in Fall River Friday, she declined to comment on the petition or the motives behind it at this time.

However, Chair of the Board of Selectmen Veronica Beaulieu was available for comment on Monday. Mrs. Beaulieu said that she is personally opposed to the petition's goal, feeling that "a larger board gives you more diverse opinions" and in fact, makes it more difficult for elected officials to reach decisions outside of public meetings. "With three members, only two people would have to get together to be a majority," she noted.

"I wouldn't be in favor of it, but I represent the people, and if that's what they want, I'll go along with it," she added, saying that some residents have been discussing a possible return to a three-member board for some time.

The chair also said that she has not been involved in any decision-making outside of public meetings. "I have not been involved in it, and I won't," she insisted. She also denied any knowledge of other members coming to a consensus on any issues prior to public sessions.

"Sometimes, we talk one on one about things, but we're not making any decisions," she said. "That is something that all boards do," she added.

As for the recent appointment of two new Conservation Commission members without interviews or discussion by selectmen, she indicated she was comfortable with the action because she had personally spoken with both the appointed candidates earlier in the week.

"I had spoken to both people who were appointed that night" after receiving their letters of application, Ms. Beaulieu said. "I picked up the phone and called them myself, as an individual. I don't see anything wrong with that."

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